The Toulouse Academy holidays start on Friday 12 February. But tourists from zone A are already arriving in the region this weekend, and all parents are looking for good plans to entertain children and adolescents. Museums, activity parks such as animal park or tree climbing, and “indoor” structures are all closed. In Haute-Garonne, in the Tarn, in the mountains, in town and in the countryside, everywhere in Midi-Pyrénées, here is an anthology of sites still open and possible activities, outside the usual parks and public gardens.
Visit cities, with the playful help of technology
AT Toulouse, the tourist office suggests families a stroll in the city on the theme of street-art, which generally has the merit of being of interest to adolescents. Many guided tours are maintained, especially for children the “riddle circuit “, treasure hunt or fun two-hour course departing from the Capitol, or even “the visit of which you are the hero”. And since last summer, the Toulouse tourist office has been offering a (paid) application that allows visitors to visit the pink city while finding the cartoon animals on the tablet or smartphone. Aces of the Jungle in front of the Toulouse monuments. In the same vein, virtual treasure hunts, treasure hunts or escape games are offered to you in the city center of Toulouse and Montauban with the Toulouse leisure specialist Granhota Games (paying).
Thanks to technology, the plant garden of Montauban turns into a zoo. Scan the Plant Garden Totems and live an amazing 3D experience. You should come across lions, tigers and other big beasts.
A Bruniquel (Tarn-et-Garonne), you will have to help two heroes to operate a time machine thanks to a talisman hidden in the city. The treasure hunt is called “Bruniquel’s talisman”. Meet in front of the tourist office with a smartphone. The route is approximately 1.6 km long and takes approximately 1.5 hours.
In the Gers, the Country and History of Grand Auch adapts its initial program to offer the public only guided tours in the open air. It is recommended to book in advance. With children, you can for example discover Auch at the time of D’Artagnan, a 1h30 trip in the world of the king’s musketeers. Also suitable for the youngest, the 1h30 “intrepid” walk, a sort of heritage rally full of enigmas in the historic center of Auch, a fun way to discover its history and heritage.
In the Lot, the trend is towards treasure hunts, puzzle games or even escape-games. Proposals that reinvent outdoor activities. You can search for a murderer at Gourdon, solve a puzzle in the woods with Lot Of Sports in Cahors or find traces of street artists of the village in trompe l’oeil of Cornac with Terra Aventura geo-caching.
Extraordinary hikes in the Tarn
In the Tarn, in Lacaune, you will walk in the footsteps of Victor the Wild Child. In the woods of the Bassine (6km from Lacaune, towards Castres), a fun course will reveal the history to you, the environment and way of life of the Wild Child, discovered on this site in 1798. On the program: labyrinth, blindfolded course and discovery of the caves of Victor.
If you want to meet dragons and strange creatures, head for the Sidobre for a stroll on trails that bring together dozens of mysterious granite boulders. The trail of Chaos de la Rouquette and the Saint-Dominique cave is particularly recommended for the youngest adventurers
You can safe cycling to link Albi to Castres via the human rights path. Another way to discover the landscapes of the Tarn! You will travel easily on a sandy track 3 meters wide which follows the route of an old railway line. A greenway that can be practiced at its own pace from the 16 car parks spread over the 44 km of the route.
Go to the mountains: toboggan, ski school and snow groomer ride
In the mountains: the three ski resorts managed by the department are partially open from February 6 to March 7 with activities in secure areas. AT Superbagnères, the valley elevator works, and you will be able to enjoy, luge, circuits snowshoes, Nordic ski course and ski lessons for the little ones. At Mourtis, a small skier area, a Nordic ski route, two toboggan runs and snowshoe trails. Finally, at Bourg d’Oueil, a toboggan area, a walking circuit and an interactive game have been set up for families. The three stations also focused on Nordic skiing.
We don’t forget Peyragudes which offers, in addition to the traditional activities mentioned above, more original (and often paying) activities such as igloo construction, snow groomer ride, or for the older ones a mountain safety workshop supervised by the trackers and their avalanche dog. In the series of unusual family activities, Saint-Lary-Soulan (Hautes-Pyrénées) invents the “Murder Party”, real life-size investigation game organized twice a week during school holidays.
Ariège remains an ideal terrain for children, even during Covid times. Luge in the Nordic area of beille tray, snowshoes and ski lessons for beginners at Goulier-Neige or to Mijanès-Donezan, ski school for 3-7 year olds (Piou-piou club) in Guzet-Neige. Snowshoeing, tobogganing and ski touring also at Monts d’Olmes. In the Ariège Pyrenees, it is also an opportunity to test the Nordic bivouac, under a yurt, an igloo or a tipi, information on the site of the Nordic village of Les Cabannes.
Finally in Aveyron also we take advantage of the snow. Two ski stations you welcome on the Aubrac plateau with cross-country skiing, tobogganing, dog sled, snowshoes. All its activities are practicable even during the pandemic. Lastation of Laguiole The ultimate family resort is located at an altitude of 1,407 m. In the heart of the forest and at an altitude of 1390 m, the resort of Brameloup is smaller but there are more than 30 km of cross-country ski trails, 10 km of snowshoe trails, toboggan run, border cross and snow garden for children.
Air out in the countryside
Visit the farms can be a good plan, guaranteed success with the little ones and some small structures are still open by appointment, to limit the number of participants, the lamas farm in Auzat (Ariège) for example. The Ramier farm in Montauban is also open on Wednesday and Saturday. But you have to reserve to stroke donkeys, pigs, sheep, calves, chickens, peacocks and ducks …
If the weather permits, why not try a bicycle ride along the Canal du midi (as far as Castanet for example) or on the Canal de Brienne (bicycle for rent at the Maison du Vélo).
In the surroundings and if your children like walk around, less than an hour from Toulouse, consider the application Toulouse Metropolis on Foot (also available in book) to discover or rediscover the Bouconne forest, the Ramée lake or towns like Pibrac as a family.
Holidays are also an opportunity to visit the Aveyron which holds the French record for the number of most beautiful villages in France. Ten in all to discover. You can therefore travel around the department from Belcastel to Brousse-le-Château via Conques, Estaing, La Couvertoirade, Najac, Peyre, Saint-Côme-d’Olt, Saint-Eulalie-d’Olt or even Sauveterre-de -Rouergue. The castles and other small museums are closed, but artisans welcome you to their boutique-exhibitions.
Outdoor art in the Lot
Do you miss museums? Direction the Lot and in particular the Georges and Claude Pompidou House of the Arts in Cajarc, offers an outdoor exhibition you can visit the exhibition One world through our windows. Take a tour of the art center to see the works. An exhibition in free circulation every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until March 7 for the whole family.
You can walk on Via Causs’mos which is a itinerant and artistic hike imagined by the Causses du Quercy Regional Natural Park in connection with a collective of artists. Over 63km (in small sections or over three days) it allows you to cross the causses and the three valleys of Vers, Célé and Lot. Along the way, artistic furniture invites to unravel the secrets of the territory.
Also to be discovered in the Lot, a work of art fitted out as a stone refuge on the way to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle in Pech Laglaire in Gréalou. Below a dolmen listed as World Heritage by Unesco, now stands an astonishing monument called Super-Cayrou. The work consists of two stone tents and a terrace that offers a breathtaking 360 ° view on an exceptional panorama after a nice stroll.
Swimming pools, not really for children
Going to the swimming pool can also be a great time with the children. But two realities collide with the epidemic: communities reserve the right to open to the general public (except clubs and athletes) in certain niches, and only external structures. And on the so-called slots, in general they are reserved in advance by swimming enthusiasts, not really for childish wading.
However, some swimming pools have opened their pools outside. AT Montauban, the Ingreo aquatic complex reopened its 50-meter outdoor pool on January 23. AT Toulouse, the swimming pools Bellevue (Rangueil) and Castex (Ramier) also open their outdoor pool, only to adults however.
Aqualudia in Muret, Jean-Vauchère in Colomiers, the aquatic center in Mazamet, Balnéa in Loudenvielle (except the treatment area) remain closed.
Adventure without a plane ticket
Do your children want strong emotions? Direction Mazamet (Tarn) and its hilltop and Cathar village of Hautpoul. You will borrow the metal gangway suspended at 70 meters above the Arnette valley. You should not be dizzy but the view is magnificent. And you can imagine yourself on a monkey bridge in the Amazon jungle.
If you had planned a getaway in the great American West, then set the course on the canyon of Bozouls in Aveyron. A extraordinary geological curiosity with impressive dimensions: 400 meters in diameter, 100 meters deep around which you can hike.
A jump in Spain? PCR test on return
New provisions have been put in place since January 30 concerning entry by land into the national territory. A PCR test of less than 72 hours is required for any entry into French territory with the exception of trips lasting less than 24 hours within a perimeter defined by a radius of 30 kilometers around the place of residence. Border controls at the Aragnouet tunnel will be stepped up during this school holiday period.
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